Thank You for Sharing

All of this year I’ve been looking forward to Thank You for Sharing, the debut novel by Rachel Runya Katz, and this week it’s finally here! This second-chance romance stars two Jewish people of color as they work together, rebuild their friendship, and develop a deeper connection along the way. It’s light and fun, but with deeper topics woven in, and is as delightful as I’d hoped it would be.

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Summary

Liyah Cohen-Jackson and Daniel Rosenberg were close friends during summer camp as kids, but things ended badly between them and they haven’t spoken since. After a chance encounter on a plane goes badly, too, they’re surprised again when they are forced to work together for a months-long project. Daniel will be providing marketing services for the museum where Liyah works, and she has a promotion on the line, so they’ll have to set aside the past and get along. But as they work together and tentatively rebuild their friendship, their romantic interest in each other is also coming back in full force. Can they overcome the hurdles in their way to find a long-overdue happily ever after?

Review

Thank You for Sharing is exactly the kind of contemporary romance that I love most: It’s a fun and quick read with likable, nuanced characters, but it also offers extra depth in terms of identity, grief, and trauma. It’s full of feeling and will make you laugh along the way, always striking just the right balance between the two. 

Both Liyah and Daniel are Jewish people of color; Liyah is half-Black and Daniel is half-Korean, and both are used to the confusion others have about their racial and religious identities. In fact, a misconstrued comment by Daniel is what reignites Liyah’s anger at him, 14 years after last seeing him at a summer camp, making their subsequent unexpected working conditions that much more difficult. 

Their personalities are so distinct. Liyah is opinionated and grumpy, issues only exacerbated whenever she’s hungry, but we love her anyway. Daniel is a gentle sweetheart with a cat named Sweet Potato—I mean, come on! That’s too cute. They’re total opposites (according to the author’s social media posts, Liyah is an Aries and Daniel is a Pisces; enough said), but I love how they complement each other. Daniel is great at calming Liyah down or just being there for support whenever she gets overwhelmed. 

In addition to exploring the intersection of Jewish faith and being BIPOC, Thank You for Sharing also examines grief and trauma. Daniel’s dad passed away a year ago, and it’s affected him in ways he can’t yet articulate. Liyah had a traumatic experience in college that has impacted her romantic relationships (or lack thereof) and sexual relations since. Despite how light the book generally is, these issues bring a vital infusion of added depth. 

While both Liyah and Daniel do pursue therapy during the novel, one of my very favorite aspects of Thank You for Sharing is the Speakeasy Survival Club (SSC) that they form with their friends/coworkers, Siobhan and Jordan, respectively. The four meet every week to discuss work, love, and general adult life issues; they even take the minutes! I loved seeing the friendships and conversations that come out of this. I also am 100% hoping for HEAs for all of the friends who show up here—more books please! My fingers are crossed for a Jordan and Siobhan love story, but Neen also needs a romance of their own, too! 

Final Thoughts

Thank You for Sharing is a sweet romance about identity, friendship, and learning to trust your own worth and the love others have for you. I adored both Liyah and Daniel and hope their friends will get their own love stories, too. Rachel Runya Katz has written a marvelous debut and I can’t wait to read more from her. 

Get the Book

You can buy Thank You for Sharing here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Thank You for Sharing by Rachel Runya Katz
Audience	Adult
Genre	Contemporary Romance
Setting	Chicago
Number of Pages	352
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley)
Original Publication Date	September 12, 2023

Official Summary

Our new favorite trope: Childhood friends. To enemies. To lovers. In a chemistry-filled debut romance.

Daniel Rosenberg and Liyah Cohen-Jackson’s last conversation—fourteen years ago at summer camp—ended their friendship. Until they find themselves seated next to each other on a plane, and bitterly pick up right where they left off. At least they can go their separate ways again after landing…

That is, until Daniel’s marketing firm gets hired by the Chicago museum where Liyah works as a junior curator, and they’re forced to collaborate with potential career changing promotions on the line.

With every meeting and post-work social gathering with colleagues, the tension (and chemistry) between Daniel and Liyah builds until they’re forced to confront why they broke apart years ago at camp. But as they find comfort in their shared experiences as Jews of color and fumble towards friendship, can they ignore their growing feelings for each other?

With sexy charm and undeniable wit, Rachel Runya Katz’s sparkling debut, Thank You For Sharing, proves that if you’re open to love, anything is possible.